Plane catches fire as it crash-lands in Congo

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A plane caught fire when it crash-landed in the Congo.

A South African air force plane was flying 59 passengers and eight crew from the UN mission to Goma airport in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo when its left engine caught fire upon landing, according to Mathias Gillman, spokesperson for the UN’s peacekeeping mission Monusco.

Everyone onboard the C-130BZ military aircraft survived, according to the authorities.

It’s understood the plane also had cargo onboard.

Footage from the incident shows smoke billowing from the downed plane.

It’s not yet known why the plane crash-landed.

“Monusco sent a rescue team that brought the fire under control and everyone was safely evacuated,” Mr Gillman told The Associated Press.

The plane was returning from the DRC city of Beni.

It’s the second plane to crash in the DRC in the same number of months.

In November 2019, at least 27 people were killed, including some on the ground, when a small plane crashed into a densely populated neighbourhood in the city of Goma in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, according to a rescue official.

The propeller plane, which was operated by local company Busy Bee, crashed shortly after take-off en route to the city of Beni, about 155 miles to the north.

The company said the 19-seater Dornier 228-200 had 16 passengers and two crew members on board.

The latest incident comes a day after a Ukraine International Boeing 737 jet crashed after take-off in Tehran.